Literacy is the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills we all need to fulfil our potential. These life skills are essential to the happiness, health and wealth of individuals and society. "Literacy: State of the Nation" provides a coherent picture of literacy in the UK today. It reveals that: (1) One in six people in the UK struggle with literacy. This means their literacy is below the level expected of an eleven year old; (2) A quarter of young people do not recognise a link between reading and success; (3) Men and women with poor literacy are least likely to be in full-time employment at the age of thirty; (4) 73% of parents and carers say their child often reads; (5) The number of children achieving the expected levels for reading at age eleven is 84% in 2011; and (6) The number of children achieving the expected levels for writing at age eleven is 75% in 2011. (Contains 33 notes.)